


Regrets & Reunions

by ReddieOrNot (cajungirlkye)



Series: Reddie's Reunion [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because screw canon that's why, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 09:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajungirlkye/pseuds/ReddieOrNot
Summary: Post- Chapter 2. After It is defeated and everyone goes their separate ways, Richie and Eddie have 1 last conversation before they part.A week later, a letter arrives that changes their lives forever.





	1. Chapter 1

Richie Tozier sighed as he threw the last of his stuff into his suitcase.  _ I still can't believe it's over, _ he thought.  _ It's **finally** fucking over. _

Two days ago the Losers Club had finally defeated the extraterrestrial clown-monster that dwelled in Derry's sewers, for good this time.

They had all just gotten together for one last meal before going their separate ways; Richie back to L.A. to salvage what was left of his stand-up career; Ben and Beverly to Nebraska together (Richie remembered wondering when they were kids if Ben would ever fess up about his feelings for Bev or just pine away while Beverly continued to get close to Bill); Mike was finally heading for Florida in the morning; Bill back to L.A. with the new ending for the latest movie based on one of his books; and Eddie…

_ Eddie _ .

As far as Richie knew Eddie was headed back to New York, back to his job, to his house… to his  _ wife _ . 

Richie swallowed. Although he had literally forgotten everything about his childhood (including his massive crush on Eddie) once he had left Derry when he was 18, the second he had walked into the Jade of the Orient and spotted Eddie all his old feelings had come rushing back and it was just like he was 13 again. 

_Get the fuck over it, Tozier_, Richie chided himself_. He would never love you the way you love him. Eddie's married, and to a woman at that. He's obviously straight, he's clearly not interested either way_… _Just get through_ _the next hour and a half and you can go to the airport and forget all about the love of your life again._

Richie looked up at the ceiling.  _ Fuck, _ he thought, walking into the bathroom. He didn't  _ want _ to forget Eddie again. If Richie was honest with himself (and everyone else), as painful as it was he'd rather have Eddie in his life as a friend than not at all.

Suddenly a knock came on Richie's door. 

"It's open!" Richie called out, grabbing his toothbrush.

He walked out of the bathroom and froze.

_ Well, speak of the fucking devil himself. _

Eddie stood in the doorway, nervously fidgeting. "Hey, man, can I come in?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, Eds," Richie said quickly. "What's up?"

"I'm about to head to the train station and I, uh…" Eddie trailed off, stepping into Richie's room and shutting the door. "I just wanted to say bye before I go."

"Okay, uh..." Richie replied, a million thoughts running through his head. _ Don't go back to New York. Come to L.A. with me instead. I love you and it's been killing me inside not to have told you.  _ "Bye, Eds," he said instead.

Eddie smiled sadly. "I'll be seeing you, Rich."

Richie swallowed. "Yeah, man. See ya."

Eddie opened the door and took one step out, then paused. "Hey Richie?"

"Yeah, Eds?"

Eddie turned around, took 2 steps back towards Richie, and enveloped him in a hug. 

Richie froze for a second, then reached up and pulled Eddie closer, tucking his face into the shorter man's neck and taking a deep breath.  _ Holy shit, he still smells amazing.  _ Eddie smelled of soap, antiseptic, and that unique Eddie scent that had always sent Richie's mind reeling. 

"I never thanked you for saving my life," Eddie whispered.

Richie shook his head. "Nah, man, you saved me first. If you hadn't javelined that motherfucker it probably would've sucked out my soul or something."

Eddie let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe, but I definitely would've been fucking toast if you hadn't pulled me down into that hug right before it almost skewered me. So… thanks."

Richie shrugged in what he hoped seemed like a casual manner and released Eddie. "No problem, buddy. Glad you didn't become an Eddie-kabob."

_ Tell him, _ a voice said inside his head.  _ Don't be a pussy. Tell him now before he leaves! _

Richie opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again.  _ Good going, asshole. For once in your fucking life you're speechless. _

Eddie also looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead turned back towards the door.

"Ok, well, see ya." 

"Yeah, see ya. Safe travels, and all that shit."

Eddie smiled softly. "Yeah, you too, man. Oh, and Rich?"

"Yeah?"

Eddie smirked and looked back towards Richie. "I fucked your mom," he said before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

Richie shook his head in amusement then watched as the love of his life walked away from him for the second time.


	2. Chapter 2

_ One Week Later _

Richie sat in the living room of his house in L.A., listening to the rain patter on the windows as he caught up on his mail.  _ I've really got to get an assistant, _ he thought as he sorted his bills from all of the junk mail. 

He paused as he came upon a letter that had been hand-addressed to him. He looked at the return label.  _ Patricia Uris… must be Stanley's wife. _

Richie's hands shook as he tore the envelope open.

_ Dear Losers… _

Tears filled Richie's eyes as he read Stan's explanation of why he hadn't made it back to Derry.

_ We're Losers. And we always will be. _

_ Stanley _

Richie wiped his eyes before reading the postscript that Stan had included.

_ PS: Richie, if you're reading this, I hope that you finally got your act together (no pun intended, I've seen your stand-up and are you sure those are your own jokes? That's not the Trashmouth I've suddenly remembered) and told Eddie how you feel about him. (Yes, I knew. No, I never told anyone. That wasn't my place.) As we all know, life is not guaranteed, but you and Eddie both deserve to be happy. Don't let another 27 years go by feeling like a part of you is missing. _

Richie felt like he had been punched in the gut.  _ Stan knew.  _ Stan had known Richie's secret, and like the amazing friend that he was he never said a word to anyone.

He was right though. It was time for Richie to grow a pair and tell Eddie how he felt about him, no matter the consequences.

Richie ran upstairs, grabbed his suitcase, and threw a few sets of clothes in, not bothering to fold anything before zipping it up. He grabbed his jacket and threw it on, quickly pulling up information on the next flight from LAX to New York before grabbing his suitcase and hauling it downstairs.

He grabbed his wallet and keys from the bowl by the front door and threw the door open…

To find one Edward Kasbrak dripping water on his front stoop, finger poised to ring the doorbell.

Richie's eyes widened. "Oh my God, Eddie? What the fuck are you doing here?" He noticed that Eddie was shivering. "Fucking Christ, nevermind that, Eds, you're soaked." He looked around. "Where's your luggage?"

Eddie looked sheepish. "Don't have any."

Richie raised his eyebrows.  _ What the fuck? _ He stepped out of the doorway. "Come inside and warm up."

He led Eddie upstairs to his bedroom, where he pulled out some clothes for Eddie to change into before pushing him towards the bathroom. "Here, take a hot shower and warm up. After all we've been through with Pennywise, I'm not going to have you wind up dying from something as basic as pneumonia from standing out in the rain."

Eddie just chuckled and nodded. "Thanks. Appreciate that." He took the offered clothes and stepped into Richie's bathroom, closing the door behind him.

While Eddie was in the shower,  _ (holy shit Eddie's really here, he's in L.A., he's in my house, he's in my fucking SHOWER, _ Richie thought as he heard the water come on) Richie unpacked his suitcase and put his stuff away, then sat on his bed and tried to figure out exactly what the fuck was happening.

Once he heard the bathroom door open he looked up and his heart clenched.

Eddie was standing there in a pair of Richie's sweatpants, which were too long on him but fit at the waist thanks to a drawstring, and an old tour t-shirt of Richie's. He fiddled with the bottom hem of the shirt and smiled softly at Richie. "Hi."

Richie couldn't help but smile softly back. "Hi." He patted the spot next to him on his bed. "Come have a seat."

Eddie padded his way over and sat next to Richie, pulling one leg up on the bed so he was facing him, but he kept his eyes downcast.

"So what exactly are you doing here, Eds?" Richie asked, reaching a hand out to softly touch Eddie's knee.

Eddie's eyes flickered up to Richie's at the touch. "Something I should've done a week ago," he replied, and the next thing Richie knew… Eddie had leaned in and was kissing him.

_ Holy fucking shit _ , was Richie's first thought.  _ More, _ was his second.

He pulled Eddie in closer, reaching up and cupping Eddie's face in his hands, mindful of the still-healing stab wound Bowers had given Eddie. "Am I dead?" he muttered. "I must've died and be in some weird-ass version of heaven."

Eddie laughed against Richie's lips and he gave him one last gentle kiss. "Not unless I'm dead too."

Richie caressed Eddie's face with his thumbs. "You're really here, how are you even here?"

Eddie smirked. "Well, you know, there are the amazing contraptions called airplanes that you can get on that will fly you pretty much anywhere you want to go."

"I fucking know that, Eds, I mean--" Richie cut himself off. "Wait, YOU, who calls airplanes 'flying death traps' and refuses to get on one, actually flew from New York to L.A.?"

Eddie sighed. "This morning I got a letter in the mail from Stan. It prompted me to do what I should've done after we defeated It -- hell, what I honestly should've done 27 years ago. So I told Myra I wanted a divorce and literally hopped on the next flight from JFK to LAX without a second thought."

Richie chuckled. "Or luggage, apparently."

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I didn't exactly have time to pack in order to catch the next flight."

"I, uh, I got a letter from Stan too. I'm assuming we all did since it was written to all of us.

Mine had a personal message at the bottom, though. Stan basically told me that I needed to get my head out of my ass and to tell you how I feel about you. He knew. That whole summer, he knew."

Eddie looked up at him hopefully. "Knew what, exactly?"

Richie knew that Eddie knew exactly what, but he owed it to both himself and Eddie to say it. He looked down and picked at a loose thread on his comforter. "That I'm gay. And that I was in love with you. I've spent the past 27 years trying to figure out why I'm attracted to short, dark-haired, skinny asthmatic guys, but here's my answer."

Eddie playfully punched Richie on the arm. "Fuck you, dude."

Richie licked his lips seductively. "To be honest, Eds, I've been waiting almost 30 years for that to happen."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Oh have you, now?" 

Richie bit his lip. "Mmm hmm. Turns out I'm attracted to one short, dark-haired, skinny asthmatic guy in particular."

Eddie reached up to caress Richie's face. "By the way, I've always loved you too. You know, just in case me leaving my wife to fly across the country with no luggage and stand outside your house in the pouring rain was any indication."

Richie looked Eddie up and down. "Speaking of you standing in the pouring rain with no luggage, Eds, you have no idea how fucking hot you look in my clothes." Richie made a general 'all of this' gesture at Eddie. "Looking like a whole snack over here."

Eddie leaned in. "Well then, I hope you're hungry," he murmured. 

"Starving," Richie replied with a wolfish grin before connecting his lips to Eddie's again.

**Author's Note:**

> ...You guys didn't actually think I was going to leave them sad, now did you? ;)


End file.
